Staring at a blank content calendar is every social media manager’s personal nightmare, yet we often find ourselves doing just that. If you’re one of us, or even just someone trying to up their social media game, you know the struggle is real. The ruthless pace of trends, those ever-changing algorithms—it’s enough to make anyone feel crazy. 

So what’s the key to social media success? Hint: It’s not trying to go viral. To build your brand on social and gain your audience’s loyalty and trust, it is crucial to put out consistent, engaging, and quality content. We know, it sounds like a lot of work. And it can be if you don’t have a strategy. But there are ways to work smarter, not harder. 

Below are three steps to conquering your content calendar.

Create categories for endless ideas

Never make just one post out of a kick-ass idea. That would be a tragic waste. If you have a golden concept, you should be creating three different types of content (at least) out of it.

Here’s the trick to getting more out of a single idea: Break your content into categories. They could look something like this:

• Education: Share your expertise, teach your audience something new, or provide valuable insights.
• Entertainment: Make them laugh, tug at their heartstrings, or inspire them with a story.
• Trendy: Jump on that hot new meme, challenge, or viral video.
• Interactive: Spark conversations, get your audience involved, and gather valuable feedback.
• Advice-Driven: Offer tips, tricks, and solutions to common problems your audience faces.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you’re writing about Instagram’s latest algorithm change. Your first post could be a helpful explainer (educational). The second, a funny meme about the change (entertainment). And the third, a post offering strategies to adapt (advice-driven). BAM. Three relatively easy posts from one idea that you can create in one sitting and schedule out throughout the next week or so. 

Organize by campaigns: your content calendar’s best friend

Now that you’ve got a trick for creating more content, how should you organize it? After all, a well-organized content calendar is the backbone of a successful social media strategy. Here’s our best tip: organize by campaigns, not just dates.

You can think of your campaigns as recurring themes or topics that you’ll post about regularly. 

Here’s an example:

Say you’re an interior design firm:

• Monday Makeover Motivation: Offer color palette tips, inspo boards, or DIY hacks.
• Wednesday Wisdom: Publish long-form articles or blog posts that offer real value.
• Tuesday Interactive: Poll your audience on their favorite decor styles or answer audience questions.
• BTS Thursdays: Share your favorite design trends, your daily work routine, or client projects.

This keeps your content fresh and gives your audience something to look forward to. Plus, it makes it easier to track your progress and ensures you’re hitting your content goals.

Layer your categories & campaigns for variety

The final step is going to kick it up a notch. For each campaign, try using a different content category. So, if “Interior Design Thursdays” is educational, “Monday Makeover Motivation” could be trendy, and so on. Variety keeps your audience engaged and prevents your feed from getting stale.

You should also switch up how you layer your categories – so “Monday Makeover Motivation” is a trendy post one week and an educational one the next. This keeps things dynamic and interesting and will help you generate new ideas week in and week out.

Ready to conquer your content calendar?

If you’re looking for more personalized guidance or just need a helping hand to take your content to the next level, I’m here for you. Connect directly with me via email or on LinkedIn.